Register adjustment for printing machines



Jan. 1, 1957 REINARTZ ETAL 2,775,935

REGISTER ADJUSTMENT FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 8, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l Ja 5 R. REINARTZ Erm. 2,775,935

REGISTER ADJUSTMENT FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 8, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 q w z g United, States ice REGISTER ADJUSTMENT FOR PRINTING" MACHINES r Robert Reinartz andOskar -Morgenlaender, Augsburg Germany, assignors to Maschinenfabrik Augsburg- Nurnberg A. G., Augsburg, Germany, ahcorporation of Germany This invention relates to the lateral and peripheral adjustment of the printing rollers in printing machines, in particular for ofiset printing machines.

In conventional printing machines the means for adjusting the lateral register is separated from the means for the peripheral adjustment, the two being arranged on opposite sides of the printing machine, and both engaging the axis of the plate cylinder. This necessitates the pressman moving from one side of the printing machine to the other in order to adjust the registers, and prevents him from doing an accurate job, and results in a considerable loss of time.

It has been suggested that the levers for operating the adjusting means of the one register be extended through the machine in order to enable the pressman to handle the two adjusting means simultaneously. But such a machine arrangement is a complicated and unreliable construction. Furthermore, the additional mechanism prevents ready access to the printing rollers. Previous attempts to arrange the adjusting means side by side, or superimposed so as to engage the same end of the axle of the plate cylinder, have been too complicated and cumbersome.

The object of the instant invention is to produce a simplified means for concentrically arranging the lateral and peripheral adjustments to engage one end of the axle of a plate cylinder.

In general this object is obtained by mounting two handwheels side by side on the same side of the printing machine, said wheels being independently rotatable to axially displace two concentrically arranged threaded bushes, one of which causes a lateral adjustment of the plate cylinder, while the other rotates the plate cylinder to give a peripheral adjustment to the cylinder.

The means by which the object of the invention is obtained is disclosed more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through the adjusting mechanism, and

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along line IIII of Figure 1.

In Figure 1 only the end portion of a plate cylinder 1 is shown. It is journaled in bearings 2 and 3 mounted in the printing machine. On the axle 4 of plate cylinder 1 is a bush 5 having spline 6, upon which is mounted a drive wheel 7, driven by gear 8.

The lateral adjustment of plate cylinder 1, or in other words, the displacement of the cylinder is an axial direction, is obtained by means of handwheel which is joined to gear 11. This gear engages gear 12, to which is fixed a cylindrical member 13, having threaded outer circumference 14. This is surrounded by a fixed inner cylinder integral with the outer housing 16, member 13 threadedly engaging cylinder 15. Upon rotation of handwheel 10, member 13 will be rotated and thus axially displaced by reason of threads 14. Member 13 then 2,775,935 i atented J an.

2 moves axle, 19. connected to axle 4 by pressing .on hearing 17 containing rollers 18.

The peripheral register adjustment is obtained by rotating handwheel 20 aflixed to gear 21 which engages gear teeth. 22 on cylindrical-bush 23. Thisbush 23. is screwed by threads 24 to the interior surface of a fixed outer. cylinder of housing 25, and, accordingly, is also axially displaced upon rotation of wheel 20. This, axial displacement is translated to bearing 26 containing rollers 27,"and mounted on bush 28 connected to gear 7.- Axial movement of helical toothed gear 7 causes an angular peripheral displacement ofthe plate cylindera An adjustment of the peripheral register is thereby. obtained.

In addition to the axial and peripheral adjustmentof the plate cylinder, respectively, the plate cylinder. axis must also be parallelly displaceable in order to adjust the distance between the plate cylinder and an adjacent printing roll. Accordingly bearings 17 and 26 are mounted so as to provide a clearance 29 for the parallel adjustment of the axis of the plate cylinder. Locking devices are provided for preventing an unintentional adjustment of the mechanism, that is being applied to threaded bushes 13 and 23. Cylinder 15, adjacent its inner end, has a slot 30 extending at least over one-half of the circumference of the cylinder, thus forming a weakened and resiliently movable end segment. A screw 32 having a knob 31 extends through cylinder 15 and threadedly engages the slot segment. When this screw is tightened, the flexible segment is drawn in, and binds upon screw threads 14, thus preventing the turning of cylindrical bush 13.

A somewhat similar lock is provided for threaded bush 23. In this arrangement a flexible segment 33 is obtained by means of two slots 34 and 35 in the outer housing 16. A bolt 36 is threaded into this flexible segment, only a portion of the bolt being shown. Upon tightening of the bolt 36, the flexible segment 33 is moved to bind screw threads 24, and thus threaded bush 23.

Two different types of scales are provided for indicating the lateral and peripheral adjustment of the plate cylinder, as caused by movement of threaded bushes 13 and 23. A pin 40 extending through housing 16 is pressed by spring 41 against the outer end of bush 23. It is provided with a pointer and scale at its outer end 42, whereby the relative position of bush 23 is indicated. This can show at any time the amount of peripheral adjustment.

The position of bush 13 is shown by a knob 50 fastened to a shaft 51, which is fixed to bush 13. A scale on knob 50 indicates the relative position of bush 13 by reference to a fixed point on housing 16. However, an indicator such as described for bush 23 can be used in place of shaft 51.

The apparatus described provides an extremely small and space-saving register adjustment which can be enclosed in a small housing on one side of the printing machine. The operating handwheels 10 and 20 are side by side, and the pressman can maintain an accurate register of the printing rollers with substantially instantaneous adjustments, and with a considerable saving of time.

Having now described the means by which the objects of the invention are obtained, we claim:

1. A register adjusting mechanism for offset printing presses, comprising a plate cylinder axle having a drive gear and an axle extension, a housing having integral outer and inner concentric cylinders enclosing said axle extension; a first cylindrical member telescopically mounted over the free end of said axle extension and having its outer surface threadedly engaged with the inner surface of said inner cylinder, first handwheel means geared to said first member for turning the same, and first bearing means between said first member and said axle extension for axially displacing said axle upon turning said handwheel; a second cylindrical member mount ed between said outer and inner cylinders and 'threadedly engaged with the inner surface of said outer ,gear for peripherally turning said plate cylinder upon rotation of said second handwheel. 2. A register adjusting mechanism as in claim 1, further comprising bearing means between said first member and said axle extension and between said second member and said axle, respectively, and means mounting said bearing means for providing a clearance for the parallel adjustment of the axis of said plate cylinder.

3. A register adjusting mechanism as in claim 1, further comprising slot means in said outer and inner cylinders, respectively, and extending into the threaded portions thereof, and binding screws extending through said slot means.

4. A register adjusting mechanism as in claim 1, further comprising gage pin means mounted in said housing for following the axial movement of said axle.

5. A register adjusting mechanism as in claim 4, further comprising scale means for indicating the position of said gage means.

6. A register adjusting mechanism as in claim 1, further comprising peripheral plate cylinder adjusting scale gage means mounted on said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,234,674 Jacobson Mar. 11, 1941 2,425,914 Blackley et a1. Mar. 23, 1944 2,653,538 Peyrebrune Sept. 29, 1953 2,660,115 Ras Nov. 24, 1953 

